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2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: 112 FEATURES ANNOUNCED

Sunday, November 25th, 2018

RECORD-BREAKING 14,259 SUBMISSIONS FROM 152 COUNTRIES

Pahokee, photo by Patrick Bresnan

Park City, UT — The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the showcase of new independent
feature films selected across all categories for the
2019 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival hosts
screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 24 - February 3, 2019.

The Festival is the Institute's public program flagship alongside Festivals in London and Hong Kong and other
screenings and events elsewhere throughout the year. Sundance Institute supports independent artists with year-round
programs, with nearly $3 million in direct grants and 21 Labs and residencies for artists around the world working in
film, theatre, New Frontier and episodic content.

Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “Society relies on storytellers.
The choices they make, and the risks they take, define our collective experience. This year’s Festival is full of
storytellers who offer challenges, questions and entertainment. In telling their stories, they make difficult
decisions in the pursuit of truth and art; culture reaps the reward.”

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, "Focusing a bright light on these
independent stories is urgent and crucial, especially in the noise of today’s globalized media landscape. Voices from
many places and perspectives, often shut out of the mainstream, offer us new insights. It’s immensely heartening to
see these bold visions and their tellers thriving.”

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “These films and artists tell the truth:
whether documentaries that illuminate hidden histories or fiction features that spotlight diverse, human experiences,
this year’s slate is layered, intense and authentic.”

For the 2019 Festival, 112 feature-length films have been selected, representing 33 countries and 45 first-time
filmmakers. 53% of the directors in this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition are women; 41% are people of color; 18%
identify as LGBTQIA+. 44% of the directors in this year’s U.S. Documentary Competition are women; 22% are people of
color; 5% identify as LGBTQIA+. Of the 61 directors in all four competition categories, comprising 56 films, 42% are
women, 39% are people of color, and 23% identify as LGBTQIA. 24 films announced today were supported by Sundance
Institute in development, whether through direct granting or residency Labs. 102 of the Festival’s feature films, or
91% of the lineup announced today, will be world premieres.

40%, or 45, of all films announced today were directed by one or more women; 36%, or 40, were directed by one or
more filmmaker of color; 13% or 15 by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA.

These films were selected from a record high of 14,259 submissions including 4,018 feature-length films. Of the
feature film submissions, 1,767 were from the U.S. and 2,251 were international; 31% were directed by one or more
women; 38% were directed by one or more filmmaker of color; 11% by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA.

In 2018, the Festival drew 124,900 attendees from 49 U.S. states and 26 other countries, generated $191.6 million in
economic activity for the state of Utah and supported 3,323 local jobs. The 2020 Sundance Film Festival will take
place January 23 - February 2, 2020.

More lineup announcements, including Shorts, Indie Episodic and New Frontier, are forthcoming; watch sundance.org/festival.

The feature films confirmed for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival are:

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first
look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film. Films that have premiered in this category in recent
years include
Wildlife, Eighth Grade, Sorry to Bother You, The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Swiss
Army Man
. 53% of the directors in this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition are women; 41% are people of color;
18% identify as LGBTQIA+.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Talbot, Screenwriters: Joe Talbot, Rob Richert, Producers: Khaliah Neal, Joe Talbot, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh) — Jimmie Fails
dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by
his best friend Mont, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.
Cast: Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, Rob Morgan, Tichina Arnold, Danny Glover. World Premiere

Ms. Purple / U.S.A. (Director: Justin Chon, Screenwriters: Justin Chon, Chris Dinh,
Producer: Alex Chi, Justin Chon) — Kasie, stuck in LA’s Koreatown, works as a karaoke hostess getting paid for her
companionship by drunken men. When her dad’s hospice nurse quits she reconnects with her estranged brother, Carey,
forcing them to enter a period of intense self-reflection as their single father who raised them nears death.
Cast: Tiffany Chu, Teddy Lee, Octavio Pizano, James Kang. World Premiere

Native Son / U.S.A. (Director: Rashid Johnson,
Screenwriter: Suzan-Lori Parks, Producers: Matthew Perniciaro, Michael Sherman) — In this modern reimagining of
Richard Wright’s seminal novel, a young African-American man named Bigger Thomas takes a job working for a highly
influential Chicago family, a decision that will change the course of his life forever.
Cast: Ashton Sanders,
Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Bill Camp, Sanaa Lathan. World Premiere
. DAY ONE

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present
day. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include
Three Identical Strangers, On
Her Shoulders
, Cartel Land and City of Gold. 44% of the directors in this year’s U.S.
Documentary Competition are women; 22% are people of color; 5% identify as LGBTQIA+.

Always in Season / U.S.A. (Director: Jacqueline Olive, Producers: Jacqueline Olive,
Jessica Devaney) — When 17-year-old Lennon Lacy is
found hanging from a swing set in rural North Carolina in 2014, his mother’s search for justice and reconciliation
begins as the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present.
World Premiere

American Factory / U.S.A. (Directors: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Producers: Steven
Bognar, Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert, Julie Parker Benello) — In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a
new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days
of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
World Premiere

Bedlam / U.S.A. (Director: Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, Producers: Kenneth Paul Rosenberg,
Peter Miller) — A psychiatrist makes rounds in ERs, jails, and homeless camps to tell the intimate stories behind one
of the greatest social crises of our time. A personal and intense journey into the world of the seriously mentally
ill.
World Premiere

David Crosby: Remember My Name / U.S.A. (Director: A.J. Eaton, Producers: Cameron Crowe,
Michele Farinola, Greg Mariotti) — You thought you knew him. Meet David Crosby now in this portrait of a man with
everything but an easy retirement on his mind. With unflinching honesty, self-examination, regret, fear, exuberance
and an unshakable belief in family and the transformative nature of music, Crosby shares his often challenging
journey.
World Premiere

Hail Satan? / U.S.A. (Director: Penny Lane, Producer: Gabriel Sedgwick) — A look at the
intersection of religion and activism, tracing the rise of The Satanic Temple: only six years old and already one of
the most controversial religious movements in American history. The Temple is calling for a Satanic revolution to
save the nation’s soul. But are they for real?
World Premiere

Jawline / U.S.A. (Director: Liza Mandelup, Producers: Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche,
Hannah Reyer) — The film follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem who built
his following on wide-eyed optimism and teen girl lust, as he tries to escape a dead-end life in rural Tennessee.
World
Premiere

Knock Down the House / U.S.A. (Director: Rachel Lears, Producers: Sarah Olson, Robin
Blotnick, Rachel Lears) — A young bartender in the Bronx, a coal miner’s daughter in West Virginia, a grieving mother
in Nevada and a registered nurse in Missouri build a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents
in Congress. One of their races will become the most shocking political upset in recent American history.
Cast:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
World Premiere

Midnight Family / Mexico, U.S.A. (Director: Luke Lorentzen, Producers: Kellen Quinn,
Daniela Alatorre, Elena Fortes, Luke Lorentzen) — In Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a
private
ambulance, competing with other for-profit EMTs for patients in need of urgent help. As they try to make a living in
this cutthroat industry, they struggle to keep their financial needs from compromising the people in their care.
World
Premiere

Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements / U.S.A. (Director: Irene Taylor Brodsky,
Producers: Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tahria Sheather) — A deeply personal portrait of three lives, and the discoveries
that lie beyond loss: a deaf boy growing up, his deaf grandfather growing old, and Beethoven the year he was
blindsided by deafness and wrote his iconic sonata.
World Premiere

Pahokee / U.S.A. (Directors: Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan, Producers: Ivete Lucas, Patrick
Bresnan, Maida Lynn) — In a small agricultural town in the Florida Everglades, hopes for the future are concentrated
on the youth. Four teens face heartbreak and celebrate in the rituals of an extraordinary senior year.
World
Premiere

TIGERLAND/ U.S.A. (Director: Ross Kauffman, Producers: Fisher Stevens, Xan Parker, Zara
Duffy) — 50 years ago, a young forest officer in India rallied the world to save tigers from extinction. Today, the
creed is carried on in Far East Russia by the guardians of the last Siberian tigers, who risk everything to save the
species.
World Premiere

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles. Films
that have premiered in this category in recent years include
Yardie, The Nile Hilton Incident, Second
Mother
, Berlin Syndrome and The Lure.

Dirty God / Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland (Director: Sacha Polak,
Screenwriters: Sacha Polak, Susanne Farrell, Producers: Marleen Slot, Michael Elliott) — Jade is a young mother in
the prime of her life when an acid attack leaves her severely burned. While her face has been reconstructed, her
beauty is lost beneath the scars. Descending a self-destructive path with relationships crumbling, Jade must take
drastic action to reclaim her life.
Cast: Vicky Knight, Katherine Kelly, Eliza Brady-Girard, Rebecca Stone, Bluey
Robinson, Dana Marienci. International Premiere

Judy & Punch / Australia (Director and screenwriter: Mirrah Foulkes, Producers: Michele
Bennett, Nash Edgerton, Danny Gabai) — In the anarchic town of Seaside, nowhere near the sea, puppeteers Judy and
Punch are trying to resurrect their marionette show. The show is a hit due to Judy's superior puppeteering but
Punch's driving ambition and penchant for whisky lead to a inevitable tragedy that Judy must avenge.
Cast: Mia
Wasikowska, Damon Herriman, Tom Budge, Benedict Hardie, Lucy Velik, Terry Norris. World Premiere

Koko-di Koko-da / Sweden, Denmark (Director and screenwriter: Johannes Nyholm, Producer:
Johannes Nyholm) — As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady
entourage emerge from the woods, terrorizing them, luring them deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of psychological
terror and humiliating slapstick.
Cast: Ylva Gallon, Leif Edlund Johansson, Peter Belli, Katarina Jakobson, Morad Khatchadorian, Brandy Litmanen.L. World Premiere

The Last Tree / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Shola Amoo, Producers: Lee
Thomas, Myf Hopkins) — Femi is a British boy of Nigerian heritage who, after a happy childhood in rural Lincolnshire,
moves to inner London to live with his mum. Struggling with the unfamiliar culture and values of his new environment,
teenage Femi has to figure out which path to adulthood he wants to take.
Cast: Sam Adewunmi, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Denise Black, Tai Golding, Nicholas Pinnock. World Premiere

Queen of Hearts / Denmark (Director: May el-Toukhy, Screenwriters: Maren Louise Käehne,
May el-Toukhy, Producers: Caroline Blanco, René Ezra) — A woman jeopardizes both her career and her family when she
seduces her teenage stepson and is forced to make an irreversible decision with fatal consequences.
Cast: Trine
Dyrholm, Gustav Lindh, Magnus Krepper. World Premiere

The Sharks / Uruguay, Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Lucía Garibaldi,
Producers: Pancho Magnou Arnábal, Isabel García) — While a rumor about the presence of sharks in a small beach town
distracts residents, 15-year-old Rosina begins to feel an instinct to shorten the distance between her body and
Joselo's.
Cast: Romina Bentancur, Federico Morosini, Fabián Arenillas, Valeria Lois, Antonella Aquistapache.
World Premiere

The Souvenir / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Joanna Hogg, Producers: Luke
Schiller, Joanna Hogg) — A shy film student begins finding her voice as an artist while navigating a turbulent
courtship with a charismatic but untrustworthy man. She defies her protective mother and concerned friends as she
slips deeper and deeper into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship which comes dangerously close to destroying
her dreams.
Cast: Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, Tilda Swinton. World Premiere

WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES / Japan (Director and screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producers:
Taihei Yamanishi, Shinichi Takahashi, Haruki Yokoyama, Haruhiko Hasegawa) — Their parents are dead. They should be
sad, but they can't cry. So they form a kick-ass band. This is the story of four 13-year-olds in search of their
emotions.
Cast: Keita Ninomiya, Satoshi Mizuno, Mondo Okumura, Sena Nakajima. World Premiere

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today. Films
that have premiered in this category in recent years include
Shirkers, This is Home, Motherland,
Last Men in Aleppo and Hooligan Sparrow.

The Disappearance of My Mother / Italy (Director and screenwriter: Beniamino Barrese,
Producer: Filippo Macelloni) — An aging fashion model strives to escape the world of images and disappear for good,
but her son's determination to make a final film about her sparks an unexpected collaboration and confrontation with
the camera's gaze.
World Premiere

The Edge of Democracy / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Petra Costa, Producers: Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris, Tiago Pavan) — A cautionary tale for these times of democracy in crisis - the personal and political fuse to explore one of the most dramatic periods in Brazilian history. With unprecedented access to Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Lula da Silva, we witness their rise and fall and the tragically polarized nation that remains. World Premiere

Gaza/ Ireland/Canada (Directors: Garry Keane, Andrew McConnell, Producers: Brendan J. Byrne,
Garry Keane, Andrew McConnell, Paul Cadieux) — Gaza brings us into a unique place beyond the reach of television news
reports to reveal a world rich with eloquent and resilient characters, offering us a cinematic and enriching portrait
of a people attempting to lead meaningful lives against the rubble of perennial conflict.
World Premiere

Lapü / Colombia (Directors: Juan Pablo Polanco, César Alejandro Jaimes, Screenwriters:
Juan Pablo Polanco, César Alejandro Jaimes, María Canela Reyes, Producer: Julián Quintero) — In the middle of
the Guajira Desert, Doris, a young Wayuu woman, exhumes her cousin's remains in order to meet her for the last time.
Through a sensory journey this ritual leads her to confront death and blend the world of the dreams with the world of
the living.
Cast: Doris González Jusayú, Carmen González Jusayú. World Premiere

The Magic Life of V / Finland, Denmark, Bulgaria (Director: Tonislav Hristov,
Screenwriters: Tonislav Hristov, Kaarle Aho, Producers: Kaarle Aho, Kai Nordberg) — Haunted by childhood traumas,
Veera is trying to become more independent through live roleplaying. As she guides herself and her
mentally-challenged brother through worlds of multiple roles and identities, witches and wizards, she finds the
courage to face the demons of her own past and her abusive father's legacy.
World Premiere

Midnight Traveler / U.S.A., Qatar, United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Hassan Fazili,
Screenwriter: Emelie Mahdavian, Producers: Emelie Mahdavian, Su Kim) — When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan
director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing their uncertain
journey, Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on
the run.
World Premiere

Sea of Shadows / Austria (Director: Richard Ladkani, Producers: Walter Koehler, Wolfgang
Knoepfler) —The vaquita, the world’s smallest whale, is near extinction as its habitat is destroyed by Mexican
cartels and Chinese mafia, who harvest the swim bladder of the totoaba fish, the “cocaine of the sea.” Environmental
activists, Mexican navy and undercover investigators are fighting back against this illegal multimillion-dollar
business.
World Premiere

Shooting the Mafia / Ireland (Director: Kim Longinotto, Producer: Niamh Fagan) — Sicilian
Letizia Battaglia began a lifelong battle with the Mafia when she first pointed her camera at a brutally slain
victim. Documenting the Cosa Nostra's barbaric rule, she bore unflinching witness to their crimes. Her photographs,
art, and bravery helped to bring an end to a shocking reign of slaughter.
World Premiere

Stieg Larsson – The Man Who Played With Fire / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Henrik
Georgsson, Producers: Mattias Nohrborg, Fredrik Heinig) — A documentary about the Millennium-trilogy author Stieg
Larsson and his pioneering work of fighting right wing extremists and neo-Nazis, an obsession with fatal
consequences.
International Premiere

NEXT

Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program.
Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a "greater"
next wave in American cinema. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include
Searching,
Skate Kitchen, A Ghost Story and Tangerine. NEXT presented by Adobe.

Adam / U.S.A. (Director: Rhys Ernst, Screenwriter: Ariel Schrag, Producers: Howard
Gertler, James Schamus) — Awkward teenager Adam arrives to spend his final high school summer with his older sister,
who has thrown herself into New York City's lesbian and trans activist scene. Over the summer, Adam and those around
him experience love, friendship, and attendant hard truths in this coming-of-age comedy.
Cast: Nicholas
Alexander, India Menuez, Leo Sheng, Chloe Levine, Margaret Qualley. World Premiere

Selah and the Spades / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Tayarisha Poe, Producers: Lauren
McBride, Lucas Joaquin, Drew Houpt, Tayarisha Poe, Jill Ahrens) — Five factions run the underground life of the
prestigious Haldwell boarding school. At the head of the most powerful faction - The Spades - sits Selah Summers. By
turns charming and callous, she chooses whom to keep close and whom to cut loose, walking the fine line between being
feared and loved.
Cast: Lovie Simone, Celeste O'Connor, Jharrel Jerome, Gina Torres, Jesse Williams. World
Premiere

Sister Aimee / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Samantha Buck, Marie Schlingmann,
Producers: Bettina Barrow, David Hartstein, Katherine Harper) — In 1926 America’s most famous evangelist is a woman.
And she’s looking for a way out. Fed up with her own success, she gets swept up in her lover’s daydreams about Mexico
and finds herself on a wild road trip towards the border. Based on true events. Mostly made up.
Cast: Anna
Margaret Hollyman, Michael Mosley, Andrea Suarez Paz, Julie White, Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves. World Premiere

PREMIERES

A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year. Films that
have premiered in this category in recent years include
The Big Sick, Call Me By Your Name, Boyhood
and Mudbound.

After The Wedding / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Bart Freundlich, Producers: Joel B.
Michaels, Harry Finkel) — Seeking funds for her orphanage in India, Isabelle travels to New York to meet Theresa, a
wealthy benefactor. An invitation to attend a wedding ignites a series of events in which the past collides with the
present while mysteries unravel. Based on the Academy Award-nominated film by Susanne Bier.
Cast: Julianne Moore,
Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup, Abby Quinn. World Premiere.
DAY ONE

Animals / United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (Director: Sophie Hyde, Screenwriter: Emma
Jane Unsworth, Producers: Sarah Brocklehurst, Rebecca Summerton, Cormac Fox, Sophie Hyde) — After a decade of
partying, Laura and Tyler's friendship is strained by Laura’s new love and her focus on her novel. A snapshot of a
modern woman with competing desires, at once a celebration of female friendship and an examination of the choices we
make when facing a crossroads.
Cast: Holliday Grainger, Alia Shawkat. World Premiere

Blinded by the Light / United Kingdom (Director: Gurinder Chadha, Screenwriters: Sarfraz
Manzoor, Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, Producers: Gurinder Chadha, Jane Barclay, Jamal Daniel) — In 1987
during the austere days of Thatcher's Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own
voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Cast: Viveik Kalra, Hayley Atwell, Rob Brydon, Kulvinder Ghir, Nell
Williams, Aaron Phagura. World Premiere

Photograph / India (Director and screenwriter: Ritesh Batra, Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent
Savino, Anish Savjani) — Two lives intersect in Mumbai and go along together. A struggling street photographer,
pressured to marry by his grandmother, convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée. The pair develops a
connection that transforms them in ways that they could not expect.
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqi, Sanya Malhotra.
World Premiere

Relive / U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Estes, Screenwriters: Jacob Estes, Drew Daywalt,
Producers: Jason Blum, Bobby Cohen, David Oyelowo) — After a man’s family dies in what appears to be a murder, he
gets a phone call
from one of the dead, his niece. He’s not sure if she’s a ghost or if he’s going mad — but as it turns out, he’s not.
Instead, her calls help him rewrite history.
Cast: David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson, Alfred Molina,
Brian Tyree Henry. World Premiere

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Chiwetel
Ejiofor, Producers: Andrea Calderwood, Gail Egan) — Against all the odds, a thirteen year old boy in Malawi invents
an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba.
Cast:
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maxwell Simba, Lily Banda, Noma Dumezweni, Aissa Maiga, Joseph Marcell. World Premiere

The Mustang / U.S.A. (Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Screenwriters: Laure de
Clermont-Tonnerre, Mona Fastvold, Brock Norman Brock, Producer: Alain Goldman) — While participating in a
rehabilitation program training wild mustangs, a convict at first struggles to connect with the horses and his fellow
inmates, but learns to confront his violent past as he soothes an especially feisty horse.
Cast: Matthias
Schoenaerts, Connie Britton, Bruce Dern, Jason Mitchell, Gideon Adlon, Josh Stewart. World Premiere

The Report / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns, Producers: Steven
Soderbergh, Jennifer Fox, Scott Z. Burns, Danny Gabai, Eddy Moretti ) — The story of Daniel Jones, lead investigator
for the US Senate’s sweeping study into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which was found to be brutal,
immoral and ineffective. With the truth at stake, Jones battled tirelessly to make public what many in power sought
to keep hidden.
Cast: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Ted Levine, Maura Tierney, Michael C. Hall. World
Premiere

The Sunlit Night/ Germany, Norway (Director: David Wnendt, Screenwriter: Rebecca
Dinerstein, Producers: Michael Clark, Alex Turtletaub, Gabrielle Nadig, Fabian Gasmia, Ruben Thorkildsen, Jenny
Slate) — Between New York City and the far north of Norway, an American painter and a Russian émigré find each other
in the Arctic circle. Together under a sun that never sets, they discover a future and family that they didn't know
they had.
Cast: Jenny Slate, Zach Galifianakis, Alex Sharp, Gillian Anderson, Fridjov Sáheim, David Paymer. World
Premiere

The Tomorrow Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Noble Jones, Producers: Luke Rivett,
Nicolaas Bertelsen, James Schamus, Tony Lipp) — Ed Hemsler spends his life preparing for a disaster that may never
come. Ronnie Meisner spends her life shopping for things she may never use. In a small town somewhere in America,
these two people will try to find love while trying not to get lost in each other’s stuff.
Cast: John Lithgow,
Blythe Danner, Derek Cecil, Katie Aselton, Sophie Thatcher, Eve Harlow. World Premiere

Top End Wedding / Australia (Director: Wayne Blair, Screenwriters: Joshua Tyler, Miranda
Tapsell, Producers: Rosemary Blight, Kylie du Fresne, Kate Croser) — Lauren and Ned are engaged, they are in love,
and they have just ten days to find Lauren's mother who has gone AWOL somewhere in the remote far north of Australia,
reunite her parents and pull off their dream wedding.
Cast: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox, Huw
Higginson, Ursula Yovich, Shari Sebbens. World Premiere

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES

Renowned filmmakers and films about far-reaching subjects comprise this section highlighting our ongoing commitment
to documentaries. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,
RBG, An Inconvenient Sequel, The Hunting Ground and Going Clear.

Ask Dr. Ruth / U.S.A. (Director: Ryan White, Producers: Rafael Marmor, Ryan White, Jessica
Hargrave, Christopher Leggett
) — A documentary portrait chronicling the incredible life of Dr. Ruth
Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became America's most famous sex therapist. As her 90th birthday approaches, Dr.
Ruth revisits her painful past and her career at the forefront of the sexual revolution.
World Premiere

The Great Hack / U.S.A. (Directors: Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim, Screenwriters: Karim
Amer, Pedro Kos, Producers: Karim Amer, Geralyn Dreyfous, Judy Korin) — Data, arguably the world’s most valuable
asset, is being weaponized to wage cultural and political wars. The dark world of data exploitation is uncovered
through the unpredictable personal journeys of players on different sides of the explosive Cambridge
Analytica/Facebook data story.
World Premiere

Halston / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Frédéric Tcheng, Producers: Roland Ballester,
Frédéric Tcheng, Stephanie Levy, Paul Dallas) — From Iowa to Studio 54, this investigation into the rags-to-riches
story of America's first superstar designer uncovers the cautionary tale of an artist who sold his name to Wall
Street.
World Premiere

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley / U.S.A. (Director: Alex Gibney, Producers:
Jessie Deeter, Erin Edeiken, Alex Gibney) — With a magical new invention that promised to revolutionize blood
testing, Elizabeth Holmes became the world's youngest self-made billionaire, heralded as the next Steve Jobs. Then,
overnight, her $10-billion-dollar company dissolved. The rise and fall of Theranos is a window into the psychology of
fraud. World Premiere

Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love / U.S.A. (Director: Nick Broomfield, Producers: Nick
Broomfield, Marc
Hoeferlin, Shani Hinton, Kyle Gibbon) — A story of enduring love between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse
Marianne Ihlen. The film follows their relationship from the early days in Greece, a time of ‘free love’ and open
marriage, to how their love evolved when Leonard became a successful musician.
World Premiere

MERATA: How Mum Decolonised The Screen / New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Hepi
Mita, Producer: Chelsea Winstanley) — An intimate portrayal of pioneering filmmaker Merata Mita, told through the
eyes of her children. Using hours of archive footage, some never before seen, her youngest child discovers the
filmmaker he never knew and shares with the world the mother he lost.
International Premiere

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Stanley Nelson,
Producers: Nicole London, Stanley Nelson) — A visionary, innovator, and originator who defied categorization and
embodied the word cool: a foray into the life and career of musical and cultural icon Miles Davis.
World Premiere

Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins / U.S.A. (Director: Janice Engel,
Screenwriters: Janice Engel, Monique Zavistovski, Producers: James Egan, Janice Engel, Carlisle Vandervoort) — Molly
Ivins was six feet of flame-haired Texas trouble, a prescient political journalist, best-selling author and Bill of
Rights warrior. She took no prisoners, leaving both sides of the aisle laughing and craving more of her razor-sharp
wit. It's time to Raise Hell like Molly!
World Premiere

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am / U.S.A. (Director: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders,
Producers:
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Johanna Giebelhaus, Chad Thompson, Tommy Walker) — This artful and intimate
meditation on
the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her
literary career. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race,
history, America and the human condition.
World Premiere

Untouchable / U.S.A. (Director: Ursula Macfarlane, Producers: Simon Chinn, Jonathan
Chinn,
Poppy Dixon) — The inside story of the rise and fall of Harvey Weinstein reveals how, over decades, he acquires
and
protects his power even as scandal threatens to engulf him. Former colleagues and accusers detail the method and
consequences of his alleged abuse, hoping for justice and to inspire change
. World Premiere

Words from a Bear/ U.S.A. (Director: Jeffrey Palmer, Producer: Jeffrey Palmer) — A
visual
journey into the mind and soul of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Navarro Scott Momaday, relating each written line
to
his unique Native American experience representing ancestry, place, and oral history.
World Premiere

MIDNIGHT

From horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification, these films will keep you wide awake, even at
the
most arduous hour. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include
Hereditary, Assassination
Nation
, The Little Hours and The Babadook.

Greener Grass / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe,
Producer: Natalie Metzger) — A deliciously twisted comedy set in a demented, timeless suburbia where every adult
wears braces on their straight teeth, couples coordinate meticulously pressed outfits, and coveted family members
are
swapped in more ways than one in this competition for acceptance.
Cast: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, Beck
Bennett, Neil Casey, Mary Holland, D'Arcy Carden. World Premiere

The Hole in the Ground / Ireland, Belgium, Finland (Director: Lee Cronin, Screenwriters: Lee Cronin,
Stephen Shields, Producers: John Keville, Conor Barry) — One night, Sarah's young son disappears into the woods
behind their rural home. When he returns, he looks the same, but his behavior grows increasingly disturbing.
Soon, Sarah realizes that the boy who returned may not be her son at all...
Cast: Seána Kerslake, James
Cosmo, Kati Outinen, Simone Kirby, Steve Wall, James Quinn Markey. World Premiere

Little Monsters / Australia (Director and screenwriter: Abe Forsythe, Producers: Jodi
Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Keith Calder, Jessica Calder) — A film dedicated to all the
kindergarten
teachers who motivate children to learn, instill them with confidence and stop them from being devoured by
zombies.
Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Alexander England, Josh Gad. World Premiere

Sweetheart / U.S.A. (Director: JD Dillard, Screenwriters: JD Dillard, Alex Theurer,
Alex
Hyner, Producers: Jason Blum, JD Dillard, Alex Theurer, Alex Hyner, Bill Karesh) — Jenn has washed ashore a small
tropical island and it doesn’t take her long to realize she’s completely alone. She must spend her days not only
surviving the elements, but must also fend off the malevolent force that comes out each night.
Cast: Kiersey
Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, Andrew Crawford. World Premiere

SPOTLIGHT

The Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love from throughout the past year. Films that have played
in
this category in recent years include
The Death of Stalin, The Rider, Ida and The Lobster.

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch/ Canada (Directors: Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de
Pencier,
Edward Burtynsky, Screenwriter: Jennifer Baichwal, Producer: Nicholas de Pencier) — From concrete seawalls in
China
that cover 60% of the mainland coast to the biggest terrestrial machines ever built in Germany, to psychedelic
potash
mines in Russia’s Ural Mountains, to conservation sanctuaries in Kenya, the filmmakers have traversed the globe
to
document the evidence and experience of human planetary domination.
International Premiere

The Biggest Little Farm / U.S.A. (Director: John Chester, Screenwriters: Mark Monroe,
John Chester, Producers: Sandra Keats, John Chester) — Two dreamers and a dog embark on an odyssey to bring
harmony to their lives and the land. As their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, they
will have to reach a far greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature, and life itself.
Utah
Premiere

Maiden/ United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Alex Holmes, Producers: Victoria
Gregory, Alex Holmes) — The incredible, against-all-odds story of sailor Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first
all-female international crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.
U.S. Premiere

The Nightingale / Australia (Director and screenwriter: Jennifer Kent, Producers:
Kristina
Ceyton, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Jennifer Kent) — 1825. Clare, a young Irish convictwoman, chases a
British
officer through the Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her
family. On the way she enlists the services of Aboriginal tracker Billy, who is marked by trauma from his own
violence-filled past.
Cast: Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr, Damon Herriman, Harry Greenwood,
Ewen Leslie. North American Premiere

KIDS

This section of the Festival is especially for our youngest independent film fans. Programmed in cooperation
with
Utah Film Center, which presents the annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival, Utah’s premiere film festival for children
and
youth. Films that have played in this category in recent years include
Science Fair, My Life as a
Zucchini
, The Eagle Huntress and Shaun the Sheep.

The Elephant Queen / United Kingdom, Kenya (Directors: Victoria Stone, Mark Deeble,
Screenwriter: Mark Deeble, Producers: Victoria Stone, Lucinda Englehart) — Athena is a mother who will do
everything
in her power to protect her herd when they are forced to leave their waterhole and embark on an epic journey
across
the African savannah in a tale of love, loss and coming home.
U.S. Premiere

THE WITCH HUNTERS / Serbia, Macedonia (Director: Rasko Miljkovic, Screenwriters: Marko
Manojlovic, Milos Kreckovic, Producer: Jovana Karaulic) — 10-year-old Jovan is often escaping reality to immerse
himself into a fantasy world. It all changes when he befriends his new classmate Milica and the adventure to hunt
her
'witch' stepmother starts.
Cast: Mihajlo Milavic, Silma Mahmuti. U.S. Premiere

The Sundance Film Festival®The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the
past
three decades, including
Sorry to Bother You, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Eighth Grade, Get Out, The
Big Sick
, Mudbound, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station,
Whiplash, Brooklyn, Precious, The Cove, Little Miss Sunshine, An
Inconvenient Truth
, Napoleon Dynamite, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Reservoir Dogs and
sex, lies, and videotape. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. The Festival
is a
program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2019 Festival sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Acura,
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State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute's
year-round
programs for independent artists. Look for the Official Partner seal at their venues at the Festival.
sundance.org/festival

Sundance InstituteFounded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves
the
space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting,
and
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Institute has supported such projects as
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, Fruitvale Station,Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
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